Personal Bio/PreCareer SummaryThe Knueppel family is full of hoopers, as Kon's mother, father and uncle played in college, while his uncle, Jeff Nordgaard, had a brief NBA career with the Bucks before playing professionally overseas. Kon was named 2024 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball after leading his high school team, Wisconsin Lutheran, to the Division 2 State Championship. Along with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Knueppel spent only one season at Duke, averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.5 minutes per game, but the Blue Devils' excellent season ended after falling to Houston in the Final Four. Knueppel posted 48/41/91 shooting splits in his lone collegiate campaign on 9.7 field-goal attempts, 5.3 three-point tries and 3.3 free-throw trips per game. Knueppel was an all-around player at Duke, but his three-point shot was his calling card. He profiles as a sharpshooter at the NBA level who can immediately contribute, while the 19-year-old's playmaking and defense will take some time to develop. Despite a 6-foot-7, 217-pound frame, Knueppel struggled to finish around the rim at an elite level in college, but he plays off two feet, has great patience in the post/paint and gets to his spot more often than not. He's not the quickest or strongest, but he has good defensive instincts and shows the ability to be a solid defender within a structured system. Knueppel's combination of size and shooting is reminiscent of Gradey Dick, Doug McDermott, Corey Kispert and Sam Hauser. Hauser is the only member of that group who wasn't taken with a top-15 pick, but he's arguably had the best career. It's safe to say Knueppel, who has a higher upside than the aforementioned sharpshooters due to his playmaking ability, will be taken early in the 2025 Draft, especially given the importance of three-point shooting in today's NBA. However, Knueppel will likely need to land in the perfect organizational fit to reach his full potential.
